New
Relson Gracie Academy in Kaneohe
Starting this Saturday, the Relson Gracie Kaneohe Academy will
open its doors. Big Ron Shiraki will be the main instructor,
so if you are in the Windward area please stop by and check out
his academy. He is a very nice guy and will help to increase
the strength of the Relson Gracie team.

As is the norm for Hawaii affiliated academies, it is $40 a month,
$20 more and you can free train at the main academy on Queen
Street and your first class is free.

The
latest edition of Brazil's legendary Gracie Magazine features
a rare sight indeed - a smiling Murilo Bustamante! The cover
features Murilo with the UFC gold!

The
UFC's latest Middleweight kingpin, known for his serious demeanor,
may have reason to be happy! He took home the UFC Middleweight
title at the last UFC, with a stunning knockout over Dave Menne.
After returning to Brazil, word is that Bustamante has turned
down a 6 figure offer from Japan to stay on with UFC.

It
is rumored that the offer, from the DEEP organization, was against
a major Japanese star. Bravo to Murilo! It should be noted that
ZUFFA clearly makes an extra effort to keep their champions exclusive,
so kudos to them for any 'behind the scenes' work they may have
done to keep Bustamante happy.

What
is next for Bustmante? He may attend the March 9th HOOKnSHOOT
in Indiana, where several young TOP TEAM fighters will be competing.

Immediately
on the horizon at 185 lbs. is probably the winner of Pat Miletich
and Matt Lindland at the upcoming UFC. Look for Dave Menne to
square off against Andrei Semenov in an upcoming show, with the
winner of that bout also emerging as a potential opponent for
Bustamante. Menne, ever the workhorse, may have to do a hard
fight before getting his rematch.

If
you can read Portuguese, visit the GRACIE MAGAZINE WEBSITE!

Source: Abu Dhabi

PT
1&2: The 'ALL-NEW' UFC And
The New Revisionism:
A Critique Of 'LOVE TAPS' ESPN MAGAZINE Article

Part 1

It seems that
many in the mixed martial arts world are so hungry for mainstream
press coverage that anytime some reporter figures out that he
should speak to some of the fighters and actually watch a couple
of fights before writing a piece about them, they are automatically
thrilled. So after mixed martial arts had endured years of totally
irresponsible and scandalously horrid reporting, now that it
is getting some mildly positive reporting, few are still ready
to criticize gross inadequacies in these pieces.

Take the case
of the recent article in the ESPN magazine, in their Feb. 04
edition, as they label it, entitled 'Love Taps,' by Tim Struby.
For whatever reason, it took over half a year for this to be
published, since it mainly focuses on the UFC 32 show of June
29 at the Meadowlands. One doubts all this extra time was used
up in fact-checking.

For starters,
we are told about Struby's visit to Huntington Beach where he
encountered 'four big, menacing white guys' in a car -- I'll
assume he got the model right -- who are 'Huntington Beach's
corps of ultimate fighters.' These four 'white guys' included
Tito Ortiz (who is of Hispanic and white descent) and Ricco Rodriguez
(who is of Puerto Rican and Italian descent).

Now, there are
some in the mixed martial arts world that have expressed, at
least privately, the hope that it can become the great white
alternative to boxing. But nothing can undo what Jesse Owens,
Joe Louis, Jackie Robinson, Muhammad Ali, and so many others
of so many diverse racial and national backgrounds have done
in the world of sports. For those uneducated on this topic, since
this is Black History Month (also usually ignored in mixed martial
arts), check out any number of the shows and articles on the
desegregation of professional sports, including some on ESPN's
very own television network, for elaboration on this point.

While Struby
may have not had any ill intentions, it is inexcusable for a
journalist to make such a blunder. This is especially true since
besides the live fights he covered, he spent five days in Huntington
Beach with Tito, Ricco, and their crew.

Struby continues
by telling us, 'The executives at Zuffa LLC, which bought UFC
last year, have made it a warmer, fuzzier place, implementing
five weight classes and a litany of rules -- no groin attacks
or spinal shots, for starters -- while standardizing equipment
and judges. The makeover -- and the promise of new tax revenues
-- was enough to prompt both Nevada and New Jersey to sanction
Mixed Martial Arts, the 'sport' of the ultimate fighter.'

Certainly Zuffa
deserves tremendous credit for the way in which they have dealt
with athletic commissions. But the rules mentioned above, such
as outlawing groin shots, were all adopted long before there
was a Zuffa, most in 1997 or before, and when states like Nevada
and New Jersey refused to consider sanctioning UFC. In fact,
New Jersey hosted, and its athletic board sanctioned, both UFC
and IFC shows in Sept. 2000. Zuffa didn't buy UFC until Jan.
2001. In Dec. 2000, future Zuffa brass Lorenzo Fertitta and Dana
White still represented Tito Ortiz, and joined him in the Octagon
following his defeat of Yuki Kondo in the UFC 29 in Japan.

Further, as
I mentioned in 'The Ultimate Resurrection' article on this web
site in Dec., Marc Ratner, executive director of the Nevada State
Athletic Commission, commented about former UFC owner Bob Meyrowitz,
'He deserves a lot of credit. He was the father of it. If the
company still was his, we would have approved it.'

The point here
is not to downplay what Zuffa accomplished in the legal and political
fields. Rather, it is to demonstrate that what they did was a
continuation and extension of what others had started and gone
quite far with in reorganizing the mixed martial arts as a sport,
long before they set foot on the scene.

What this also
means is that this new revisionist view that there is some wall
between the 'old' and 'all-new' UFC's is inaccurate. Yet this
is exactly the theme that seems to underlie Struby's piece --
and, not coincidentally, the positioning by Zuffa of UFC in its
marketing.

Look no further
than Struby's phrase about the 'old' UFC: 'its biggest star,
David 'Tank' Abbott.' There it is, on p. 92, if you care to look
it up. Now, Tank was certainly ONE of the early UFC's biggest
stars. I, for one, think he should be considered for a return
to the Octagon whenever his old pro 'wrestling' contract allows
(if that hasn't happened already), but that is another issue.

To anoint Tank
UFC's 'biggest star' is just false. To use but one of many measures,
here again is the list of the UFC's with the highest buy rates
on U.S. pay-per-view television, with their main events, according
to Showtime Entertainment Television's Decade in Review report,
covering the 1990s:

The only show
of these on which Tank fought was the fifth one on the list,
as he tapped out in the finals of the UFC 6 tournament to Oleg
Taktarov. This was also his UFC debut, and it is doubtful that
many tuned in specifically to see him at that time, since he
was then largely unknown to most no-holds-barred fans (we called
it that in those days, folks).

Who was actually
UFC's 'biggest star,' what was his impact, and how does this
relate to today's UFC? You probably won't be surprised at who
he was, but you will have to wait to find out more until Part
Two of this critique continues tomorrow, same URL, same telling
it like it is. The one name that dominated UFC in its early days
was, of course, Royce Gracie. Anyone even vaguely familiar with
it then knows this. Royce won the tournaments in UFC 1, 2, and
4, and has a total of 11 victories in the Octagon, still a record.

Yet the name
Royce Gracie is nowhere to be found in any of the four oversized
pages ESPN Magazine accorded Tim Struby's piece on UFC in its
Feb. 4 edition.

Taking nothing
away from any of the early UFC stars, whether on the list of
the most watched five shows or not (see Part One of this article),
the one man who stood above all the rest in impact was Royce
Gracie. In fact, it was watching him defeat Ken Shamrock, Dan
Severn, and a host of other bigger and seemingly tougher fighters
by means of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu that put UFC on the map and revolutionized
the martial arts and the combat sports in general.

Interestingly
enough, UFC buy rates peaked with the Ken Shamrock-Royce Gracie
draw in UFC 5. They never reached the same high level (for a
variety of reasons, of course, including cable company censorship,
too long to elaborate here). This fight would have been a victory
for Ken Shamrock had there been judges and any kind of scoring
system at that time. This draw also punctured the myth of Royce's
invincibility.

Whether it was
Struby or his editors that were responsible for this glaring
omission about Royce Gracie, we do not know. But right now this
published piece is about as good as one on 20th century baseball
history that omits mention of Babe Ruth.

Struby contends,
'But with no storied history, the new owners are marketing their
sport in a glitzy, babes-and-brawlers, WWF way.' The latter part
of that sentence is indeed true. If the author had bothered to
investigate it, however, he also would have found that this ersatz
WWF approach has been a bust, and that the 'Carmen Electra Era'
of UFC yielded buy rates on pay-per-view that were so low and
so embarrassing that to this day, Zuffa has not lived up to its
promise of releasing these numbers publicly.

As to the first
part of that sentence, UFC has 'no storied history' only to those
who do not bother to investigate it. Struby does quote in this
article people like longtime UFC referee John McCarthy. When
he was writing the story he was actually a guest on my old eYada
'No Holds Barred' show. Thus he had access to plenty of people
who could have set him straight.

By eliminating
discussion of Royce Gracie and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, the article
is then able to offer its own critique of the style of the 'all-new'
UFC. Struby comments that 'it's often real dull.' His mouth waters
at 'the occasional flash knockout,' but then he laments, 'usually
the fighters end up on the mat.' He continues, 'From there, one
man works his way on top to launch a barrage or the two grapple
until somebody applies a submission hold. Neither is all that
artful.'

Excuse me? It
was not 'all that artful' when Royce Gracie revolutionized the
fighting world with a series of armbars and chokes in that now-despised
'old' UFC? It was precisely word-of-mouth about what he was accomplishing
that made UFC the only successful pay-per-view-only sport. And
while the ill-advised emphasis on blood and gore did play its
part in the success of the early UFC's, the guy who got everyone's
attention and was the biggest draw was that artful, technical
master, Royce Gracie.

It may be a
matter of taste to moan that submissions are not 'all that artful.'
It is someone's right to be as tasteless as Stubby apparently
is. It is also a fact that Royce's real artistry sold far better
than the 'all-new' UFC ever has, with all the benefit of its
millions spent on marketing.

One thing Struby
does get right is the thought expressed in a quote from Zuffa
head Lorenzo Fertitta. 'We have to reeducate people. That's a
huge uphill battle,' he is quoted as arguing.

But such a process
of reeducation can only start with a fair assessment of the early
UFC. If Zuffa seeks to disassociate itself totally from the traditions
started in the Royce Gracie era, it might as well tap out, or
sell UFC to someone else.

Its past, its
future, its magic, its unique place in the fighting world, can
all be found in one place -- on the ground, with one fighter
submitting the other. It can never hope to outbox boxing, outwrestle
wrestling, or outkick kickboxing or muay Thai. Those sports feature
the world's most compelling versions of those styles of competition
and techniques.

Of any sport
in which striking is allowed, mixed martial arts' greatest attraction
is the submission hold. It may be 'a huge uphill battle' to reestablish
that view, but no whitewash or revisionist version of the history
of UFC and the mixed martial arts in general can reverse that
point.

Sure, overall
the athletes in UFC are much better today and have a more varied
and well-rounded arsenal of techniques, all making submissions
more difficult. But if mixed martial arts devolves primarily
into a display of two grapplers kickboxing with each other on
their feet and punching each other on the ground, then indeed
in North America it will never even return to the popularity
it achieved in the Royce Gracie days, much less break out of
the tolerated but marginal status in which it is now subsisting.

Source: Abu Dhabi/Eddie Goldman

'The
Best' Line-Up Announced!

I thought this was funny because this event marks the return
of the legendary Joe Son and it looks like he's the main event.

On
February 13th in Japan DSE/PRIDE announced the fight order of
'THE BEST'(February 22nd.

THE
BEST (February 22nd at Korakuen Hall)

1st
Match: SOUICHI NISHIDA VS GIANT OCHIAI

2nd
Match: EIJI MITSUOKA VS ANTHONY MACIAS

3rd
Match: MAMMOTH SASAKI VS KIM JONG WANG

4th
Match: DAIJYU TAKASE VS JOHIL DE OLIVEIRA

5th
Match: KOH SOUKUN VS AMIR

6th
Match: YUSUKE IMAMURA VS JOE SON

More Information:
THE BEST, to be held on February 22, 2002 will be broadcast live
via the internet and a 360° (horizontal) camera to be installed
ringside. You'll be able to see the fight as well as the seconds,
the coaches and even turn the camera to see the fans. We're bringing
you a 360° view!

Source: Abu Dhabi

2/14/02 Happy Valentine's Day

IMPORTANT
NOTICE

If you have
a girlfriend or wife and you have not picked up something for
her, even as small as a card, DON'T BOTHER COMING HOME!

You
have been warned.

On
the other hand, don't go out and buy her a new car or anything
large. Your woman will get used to it and expect it next year.
Remember a dozen roses scores one point. A single rose scores
one point as well. You do the math with the finances and decide
which way to go.

Signed:
The Man

Quote
of the Day
"It's better to spend $1.50 on a card, then take physical
and emotional beatings all year."

Mike Onzuka

UFC's
March Offering
A Look at The Title Matches

The injury of
Tito Ortiz, the top drawing card of UFC, has left the ZUFFA people
with some work to do. Contrary to recent criticisms in the press,
it would seem that Joe Silva does know what he is doing after
all - adding the long awaited Josh Barnett versus Randy Couture
Heavyweight Title match gives the UFC another bout between two
men in the top 5 of the their respective weight class. Added
to the solid Hayato Sakurai / Matt Hughes match, and this is
looking like a solid show.

There were many
negatives that came out of the Ortiz injury. It was a set back
for the Zuffa crew. It was announced almost two weeks ago that
Tito Ortiz suffered a knee injury serious enough to put him out
of the main event at UFC 36 against Vitor Belfort.

Given the highly
anticipated nature of the matchup, it would be impossible to
please the fans with a replacement but Zuffa was willing to try,
offering Belfort a fight with Chuck Lidell, and for the same
amount of money, stated UFC President Dana White on FCF. Remarkably,
Belfort refused the fight, though most experts considered him
the favorite. Word is that he was lured back to the TV arena
in Brazil. By the time this match actually happens, it's going
to be one of the most anticipated bouts in recent UFC history.

Josh Barnett
takes his unmatched 26-1 record back into the Octagon for his
5th appearance. Barnett is also coming off knee surgery but is
stating he will be ready and waiting for 'gold.'

Seemingly underrated
and underappreciated, Randy Couture is STILL unbeaten in the
UFC and is coming off a decisive win over Pedro Rizzo and wishes
to continue his reign as Heavyweight Champion. Both have trained
together in the past, so it will be interesting to see what they
say as it gets more close to the date, though Couture ussually
does his talking in the ring.

Sakurai's first
match outside of Shooto is monumental in many ways. It marks
his U.S. debut, he faces the best ground and pound guy in the
biz and he is one of the few 170lbs fighters considered to be
a threat to MAtt Hughes. He has had trouble with similar opponents,
such as rAw wrestler Frank Trigg. Trigg was able to take him
down and land effectively him until Sakurai landed a knee in
RD 2 that got a KO victory.

However, Matt
Hughes is on a roll! Although the match with Newton was controversial,
Hughes proved again that he can take down and launch any opponent
like a rocket. Rumor has it that Hughes will be training at AMC
Pankration for his fight with Sakurai. With training partners
like Miletich, Pulver and Horn he can now add Hume, Barnett,
Aaron Riley and Ivan Salaverry.

There's no one
more down right now than Tito Ortiz. He was wanting to still
do the fight after surgery (the guy doesn't stop)! In the meantime,
credit for these title matches must go to the current team, and
Joe Silva. Silva is steadily developing his fighters - of the
4, 3 have extensive UFC histories, and the bringing in of SHOOTO
kingpin Sakurai shows he does have an eye for talent. Silva has
taken the UFC firmly in the direction of competition, and away
from the alligator surrounded, dog fighting antics planned by
previous so called 'professionals'.

Source: Abu Dhabi

HOOKnSHOOT
OVERDRIVE
Card Announced!
Indiana's MMA company steps up with a packed card for March 9th,
in Evansville Indiana's Memorial Coliseum.

"This is SHOOTO."
starts HnS promoter Jeff Osborne. "We are glad to open 2002
with a bang, we think we are putting together a great card for
HOOKnSHOOT OVERDRIVE. I know we say 'This is our best show ever'
a lot, but I think it is a sign that we are doing something consistent"
continues Osborne.
"The April 13th ladies show has commanded a lot of attention,
and that will be a lot of fun, but this March 9th show will hopefully
set the tone for the rest of the year." Osborne states.
"We will have a lot more details in the days to come, but
we wanted to release the lineup now."
"We want to thank the SHOOTO Commission in Japan and their
people here in the USA - I think we are beginning to grow this
'union' as well." Osborne elaborates after stating that
all the matches on the card would be OFFICIAL SHOOTO, sanctioned
by the SC in Japan. This is a first in the US, something Osborne
describes as "another HnS milestone and a feather in our
underdog cap".
"Of course, this is subject to change, we hope we won't
have to, but with what we have seen this year..." concludes
Osborne.

Quote
of the Day
"True friendship is like sound health; the value of it is
seldom known until it be lost."

Charles Caleb Colton

INTERVIEW:
Ryan Bow,
SHOOTO's American Top Gun!

Wolfman: Before
you started MMA, what experiences and training did you have in
the martial arts? Bow: I started training when I was 15 under
Sifu Hing Fai Chan in Shaolin Kung Fu and Wing Chun. When I saw
the UFC I did Judo and started to dabble in a little bit of Brazilian
jiu-jitsu and Muay Thai to learn everything but it was hard in
Michigan.

Wolfman: Tell
us a bit about working your way up through the different classes
in Shooto and how something similar and organized could help
U.S. organizations? Bow: I started as an amateur in amateur C
class to amateur B class and then amateur A. I then earned the
right to fight in the All Japan Tournament. I placed 3rd in the
All Japan and you generally have to place at least 3rd until
a gym will turn you pro. Once I turned Pro I worked my way up
through Pro B class, into A, and then into the rankings where
I am currently ranked 5th. With a win in December against Mishima
I will earn a title shot and become ranked #1. I think the UFC
could learn from Shooto and build an amateur and Professional
B level league to ensure the fighters have experience before
being thrown in over there heads before they are ready.

Wolfman: Besides
MMA, what other sports both combat and otherwise, do you enjoy
being a fan of? Bow: I've been a fan of American Football since
I was young and grew up in a family of great wrestlers so it
is funny that this is one of my weaker points but I am working
on it.

Wolfman: Is
your goal to be Shooto Champion or do you have other goals too?
Bow: First and foremost is to beat Mishima and win the Welterweight
Title. Furthermore, I always wanted to be the best in more than
one sport so currently I am pursuing a career in Shootboxing
and submission wrestling. Eventually I would even like to try
my hand at Muay Thai and move to Thailand if need be.

Wolfman: Lately
you have put even more value on diet, weightlifting, and supplements
besides already putting a strong importance on your cardiovascular
conditioning. How important is all of this to make it to the
top level and make yourself-the Ultimate Athlete? What have you
been doing? Bow: Obviously any weak point a fighter has can be
taken advantage of so I have been going heavy on the weights
recently doing a full body workout 3 times per week and cardio
6 times per week. I'm also taking a multi-vitamin and recently
begun using Creatine, Whey Protein, BCAA, and Glutomine so that
my body can perform at the level it needs to.

Wolfman: Where
have you been training and what does that do for you? Bow: Basically
been training at Cesar's Shootboxing gym. Shootboxing is good
because we incorporate takedown defense, knees, circling out,
underhooking, Thai clinching, throwing, as we as boxing and Muay
Thai blended together. For grappling I train mainly at Keishukai
where I have learned a lot recently from fighters like Caol Uno,
Takase, and Toita. I also train at RJW for wrestling and S.K.
Absolute for a blend of everything.

Wolfman: How
are you associated with Frank Shamrock? Bow: I tried out for
Franks Professional Team in 99' and made it. Unfortunately I
can only train with Frank every so often do to living in Japan.
Frank is a wealth of knowledge and I've learned not only the
technical game but also the importance of being mentally and
physically prepared. He has a special ability to simplify techniques
and make them understood.

Wolfman: Who
do you feel are the top guys in your weight class? Bow: Me (laughs).
I feel Shooto has the strongest guys in this weight class by
far as others have not been tested as much. However, fighters
such as Jens Pulver and BJ Penn are no doubt some of the best
out there. Gomi is probably the #1 guy right now until I get
my rematch.

Wolfman: In
your upcoming Shooto fight Dec. 16th with Mishima, what is your
goal and what are you going to try and accomplish in that fight?
Bow: My goal is to be Shooto's Welterweight Champion and Mishima
is standing in front of me and he is between me and the title
so taking him out of the picture is my 1st concern. He is a great
fighter whom I respect, but I think I am better rounded and will
be able to beat him in the upcoming fight. (Authors biased prediction
is Bow by 3rd rd. TKO/Ref./Doc. Stoppage.)

Wolfman: If
you beat Mishima you then get a title shot at the winner of the
Gomi/Sato fight that is happening on the same card. What are
your thoughts on a fight with Sato and what would be different
now with a rematch with Gomi? Bow: (Ryan rumbles something in
Japanese) Rumina Sato is the ace of Shooto so without a win over
him people forever will wonder so fighting him would be a great
challenge and honor. Gomi on the other hand is a great fighter
as well and I would like a rematch (Ryan broke Gomi's eye orbital
bone in the first fight with a knee). I guess the only thing
I would do different is break both of his eyes so I will win
the decision I felt I deserved the 1st time.

Wolfman: Good
luck and anything else you would like to tell the readers of
ADCC News? Bow: Kato-chan Pe! (Ryan holds two figures up to his
nose. It is some famous joke whose meaning or lack thereof escapes
me that Ryan used to have the whole crowd laughing at the 11/25/01
Shooto show)!

Source: Abu Dhabi

TITO
ORTIZ: Undergoing Surgery Next Week, To Help on Mar. 30th MMA
Event
in CA.

Tito Ortiz may be on the shelf
for several months as he recovers from knee surgery, scheduled
for next week, but don't expect him to be very far from the fight
game while he mends.

The UFC light-heavyweight champion,
and that organization's brightest star, will undergo full reconstructive
knee surgery following a training injury a week and a-half ago
as he prepared for his seemingly ill-fated fight with Vitor Belfort
at UFC 36 on March 22 in Las Vegas. That fight, also postponed
from UFC 33 in September following a training injury to Belfort,
has been cancelled from this show, although UFC hopes it will
be rescheduled in the future.

The surgery will replace Tito's
entire ACL with one taken from a cadaver, he told us by phone.
(Does that mean that the donor will also get his name on the
championship belt, maybe with an asterisk? Just asking.)

Tito projects his return to
fighting on either the planned July or September UFC shows. After
the surgery he will have physical therapy, with a return to his
full training regimen in about two and one-half to three months.
'Right now I can box,' he said, and also 'just wrestle.'

In the meantime, Tito will be
working with his old wrestling coach, Paul Herrera, himself a
former UFC fighter and All-American wrestler from Nebraska, as
well as Dave Thomas, on a mixed martial arts show scheduled for
March 30 at the Cahuilla Creek Casino in Anza, California. Tito
describes his role as a 'half-promoter,' while Paul is the 'full
promoter' and also doing the matchmaking. The casino has a web
site at http://www.cahuilla.com/.
This is the same location where Mark Hall ran shows.

This show is done with UFC's
blessing, and aims to provide a showcase for up-and-coming fighters.
UFC is 'supporting me 100 percent,' Tito said. He indicated that
there will just be 'B-level fighters' on the card, but this will
allow them to 'work their way up to getting into UFC, I'm hoping.'

The card will feature two four-man
tournaments, one at heavyweight and the other at 185 pounds,
and four single fights. The event will use the unified rules
of mixed martial arts, the same as UFC, and be held in an octagonal
cage, about 20 feet across, he said.

As for his own return, Tito
still wants to fight Vitor Belfort. 'We're hoping so, we think
so,' he stated. Ah, an optimistic man!

Tito also said he liked the
recent piece on him and UFC in ESPN magazine and thought the
writer, Tim Struby, was 'cool,' but that is another story on
which we will comment later this week.

Source: Abu Dhabi

More Talent Signed
For 'Return of the Heavyweights'

Four more tournament
fighters for Extreme Challenge 46: Return of the Heavyweights
have been announced by promoter Monte Cox.

Ben Rothwell and Ron
Faircloth of Wisconsin, Jarvis Weiss of Minnesota and Seth Peters
of Missouri will take part in the 8-man tourney scheduled for
Feb. 16 at the 7 Flags Event Center in Clive, Iowa.

Tickets for the event
are on sale at TicketMaster, order by phone at (515) 243-1888.

Rothwell is a solid
puncher from the Dave Strasser camp and boasts a 9-1 record,
losing only a decision to undefeated Tim Sylvia; Faircloth is
an aggressive striker, also from the Strasser camp; Weiss is
a muscular wrestling coach trained by UFC veteran Brad Kohler;
and Peters is a wrestler with striking skills.

In an alternate match,
Johnathan Ivey of Tennessee will face Russ Speers of Minnesota.

'I think the second
set of fighters gives us a very balanced event,' Cox said. 'As
I said before, we were looking for young, unknown talent... not
names that everybody would recognize. We're hoping to find a
star out of this group.'

The winner and runnerup
in EC 46 will earn a berth in the mega 16-man heavyweight tourney
in Honolulu, Hawaii, on April 25-26. The winner of that event
will pocket $10,000.

Jason Brilz, who was
previously announced, has withdrawn from the event due to an
injury. A replacement is currently being sought.

Get
it at the Blaisdell Box Office or any Tickets Plus Locations
or Charge by Phone at 808-526-4400. Advance General Admission
$25.00, on the event Day $28.00, Ringside $45.00.

QUICK
INTERVIEW: SHOOTO Star RUMINA SATO
CONDUCTED NOV 2001

A brief interview, across the
language barriers with Rumina Sato, perhaps SHOOTO's greatest
star ever, despite a bad streak the last 18 months.

Wolfman: When did you become
involved in martial arts and why?
Sato: When I was 19 years old because I liked Professional wrestling.

Wolfman: What gives you the
confidence, or why do you, go for so many submissions?
Sato: Because during my training I can finish successfully with
submissions, so why not the same in the fight?

Wolfman: Some American fans
probably know you best from seeing clips on the internet of your
flying armbar on Charles Taylor or jumping on the back and choking
Yves Edwards. What is your most memorable finish or move in the
ring?
Sato: vs. Charles Taylor in 6 seconds - flying arm bar!

Wolfman: What are your thoughts
going into your Welterweight Title against Gomi is your 3rd shot
at the title. What do you feel will be the difference this time?
Sato: The opponent is different. The mental state of mind is
always the same.

Wolfman: Would you like to fight
in the UFC and would you like to fight for both the UFC and Shooto
during the year concurrently?
Sato: Yes! I'd like to fight both, but I think about Shooto first.

Wolfman: What do you think of
BJ Penn and Jens Pulver as possible opponents someday and how
do you think their title fight will go?
Sato: They're very tough guys. I'd love to fight them. If it
finishes fast, the winner will be B.J. If it finishes with a
decision, then Pulver.

Wolfman: Do you think MMA organizations
should eventually have unification title fights?
Sato: This sport should be united like boxing.

Wolfman: Thank you for your
time, anything else you would like to say to your American fans?
Sato: Please watch and support SHOOTO matches as well as amateur
Shooto, in the USA and in Japan.

Special Notes: Mishima
is the current number 1 contender for the SHOOTO Welterweight
title and he should be lined up for a shot at the new champion
Takanori Gomi. Mishima was scheduled to face Gomi for the belt
after it was vacated by Kaoru Uno but he was injured and had
to step aside for Rumina Sato. Now he is primed and ready for
his rightful chance at the championship. Also by winning in this
event, Akira Kibe and Tsutomu Shiiki advance to the 2nd round
of SHOOTO 2002 Rookie's Tournament. The Rookie Tournament is
something that will be taking place over several events this
year. More tournament matches are on their way March 13th and
15th in Tokyo. There will be more on the brackets for this tournament
later.

Catching
Up With... ZE MARIO SPERRY

We had a brief conversation
with the quiet Mario Sperry, star in PRIDE, ADCC and BJJ for
many many years. We talked about his recent match with Igor Vovchanchin
and his future in MMA - read on!

Mario, tell us some of your
thoughts about your fight against Igor.
MS: I am pretty glad not just because everything went the way
I planned. I was also happy for a great showing because a lot
of people said that I would not take a hard fight.

Did you expect that easy fight?
MS: I would not say that the fight was easy. I was ready for
everything. Like I said before, everything that I planned happened.
He made a mistake and he got caught. It all about training and
timing. That is what I had.....

Some people are saying that
it was a bad night for Igor, do you feel you are still not getting
your due?
MS: I do not feel underrated at all. People can say what ever
they want, it is normal, especially when they do not know what
the fighters go through. What people do not understand is that
some guy's game do not fit with certain other guys. When Pride
offered Igor to me, I was glad in all aspects: he was very famous,
dangerous on his feet ,and he was not shy about fighting on the
ground. So, the best thing that I could do was to take him down
and try to submit him.

What's next for you now?
MS: I do not know, but I am planning to fight a lot this year.

How long do you intend to fight
still?
MS: I am feeling great now. Just the time can tell me.

Are you planning to come back
to ADCC in 2003?
MS: Of course! I love the Emirates and it's people. I have a
lot of friends there. Moreover, I love the ADCC Tournament, the
competition.

Are there any opponent that
you really wish to fight?
MS: In ADCC: for sure Kerr. As a lot of people would say - ''I
had a bad night'. Just kidding. I think if I change my fighting
game I can win. In NHB, I will fight against anyone.

Source: Abu Dhabi

'BRING
IT' - MATT SERRA!

UFC 36 is right around the corner and
the lightweight division is hitting its peak with several new
additions. Matt 'The Terror' Serra being one of them. I spoke
with Matt this past week about his training program, his fight
with Din, and his move to the lightweight division. Read on!

Matt has always been 'energetic'
in speech, which seems to spill over to the ring style. Matt's
no guts no glory style has attracted fans from all over the world.
Matt's first fight in the UFC was one of the most exciting matches
of the past year, his continuous submission attempts placed everyone's
attention to a new thing - an American with ability to match
anyone in the world in submission holds! Though Matt lost the
fight to wily veteran Shoney Carter, he learned from it and moved
on, not letting it keep him out.

His next fight in UFC was against
one of the toughest welterweights in the world, (who by the way
is also moving down to lightweight) Yves Edwards. Matt proved
on that night that he could stay alive against one of the toughest
and strongest punchers in the sport. Matt once again displayed
his incredible ability to keep the fight on the ground against
a tough standup fighter, staying active and earning the victory.

Many are concerned that Matt
will not be able to make weight for this upcoming fight at 155
lbs. Matt responded, 'I am in the best shape of my life, I am
working with a nutritionist and personal trainer. I am watching
my diet, I am not eating everything I want, but I am in great
shape.' The move will put Matt at the top of the weight class
size-wise, a fact that combined with his skill has him rated
as one of the premiere fighters at this weight class already!

DIN THOMAS....Din is a legend
in the ring. He will be Matt's toughest opponent to date. Din,
who has beaten current UFC champion Jens Pulver and a tough Brazilian
opponent in Fabiano Iha, has discussed this fight on several
forums and flat out told the world that he will beat Serra. Matt's
response was simple, 'Bring It!'

I asked Matt about his training
for this fight. Matt responded 'I train hard every fight.' Matt
goes on to say that he respects every fighter he get into the
ring with, therefore he gives 100%. Matt is sparring as much
as six hours a day with various opponents in different styles.
He is not taking Din lightly. 'I have watched his tapes and will
be ready to go fight night' promises the Terror.

I asked Matt to respond to the
trolls out there who say he is a good grappler, but doesn't have
a chin. 'Anybody at anytime can get knocked out. Was Din not
a good stand up fighter when BJ knocked him out?' was Serra's
response.

Matt has been working his game
on all levels and will be ready to bring it on March 22. Matt's
ultimate goal is the title as is everyone in this division. With
Pulver's win over BJ, could we see Serra and PENN sometime this
year?

This will be Inoue's toughest
test to date. In his last appearance in Super Brawl, De Silva
choked Hawaiian fighter, Ronald "The Machine Gun" Jhun
unconscious in less than 3 minutes! "Marcos is big and strong.
His submissions are deadly! These are truly two of the elite
fighters in the world at this weight. This has the ear markings
of an epic battle!" T.Jay Thompson, Promoter.

Inoue's record is unblemished
in the 185lb class. He has retained a Super Brawl title belt
for over 3 years. One, in the old heavyweight class (over 200lbs)
by beating Marcelo Tiger in a controversial match in 1999. And
most recently, he obtained the Super Brawl middleweight title
by beating #10 World ranked Joe Doerksen in Super Brawl 22. "I
really enjoy fighting in Hawaii. It means a lot to me to have
the hometown fans behind me." When asked about how he thought
the fight would go, Inoue responded, "This guy is no joke.
I was there when he beat Ronald. I don't plan on suffering the
same fate!"

De Silva, grew up in the mean
streets of Fortunado, Brazil. He is a multiple Jiu-Jitsu champion
and speaks little English, letting his fighting do the talking
for him. "I respect Egan Inoue, but I will defeat him like
the others."

On behalf of Warriors
Quest, I would like to announce that 8 bouts from Warriors Quest
4 will be sanctioned by Japan's Shooto Organization. For me it
was one of my goals when I first started, so as you can see it
is like a dream come true. Warriors Quest is also pleased to
report that we are working very closely with IFC's Paul Smith.
Paul Smith has been a big help with matchmaking and helping Warriors
Quest by getting names like Marquardt and Shields. Warriors Quest's
purpose from the beginning was to help not only Hawaii fighters,
but any fighter that wants to get the experience and the exposure
they need to fulfill their dreams. On Behalf of Warriors Quest,
we thank the fighters for making this possible it is their hard
work and abilites that carry a show to profection.

Hawaii
Boys Don't Fare Well in KOTC 12

King of the Cage 12 Results
Held February 9, 2002
Soboba Casino - San Jacinto, California

Under
the Big Top,
Frye and Shamrock TussleLOS ANGELES, Feb.
8, 2002 -- Pride came to town today. So did the circus. The Hard
Rock Café inside West L.A.'s Beverly Center served as
the final stop on Dream Stage Entertainment's (not Ringling Brothers,
although today you wouldn't have known the difference) five-city
promotional tour, hyping February 24th's same-day pay-per-view
from Tokyo.

Ken Shamrock
and Don Frye, who fight each other in Pride 19's main event,
sat down at a table together in front of a relatively empty restaurant,
talked a bit, stood up, scowled, bathed, wrestled and then ate
lunch 30 feet from each other. Barnum and Bailey would have been
proud.

With the recent
rash of boxing related press conferences turned barroom brawls
-- Lennox Lewis and Mike Tyson (more on him later), Oscar de
La Hoya and Fernando Vargas, Marco Antonio Barrera and Erik Morales,
Lennox Lewis and Hasim Rahman, and Bernard Hopkins and Felix
Trinidad -- the sport has become ripe for ridicule from the mainstream
press. It also caused more people to pay attention to boxing
(remember, any press is good press) than at any other time in
recent memory.

Think DSE and
American Director of Publicity/Public Relations Jackie Kallen,
now in her fifth month, didn't take notice? Kallen, who was quoted
in Tuesday's Detroit Free Press saying "You can't gouge
eyes" and "You can't bite" when asked what mixed
martial arts rules consisted of (Doh!), introduced both men.

"This fight
means a lot to the whole world of mixed martial arts, mainly
because these two are the top two contenders," she said.
Really? Nothing against Shamrock and Frye, they're tough guys,
but calling either of them contenders for anything other than
a retirement plan is ludicrous.

Kallen continued:
"They are the most famous, most accomplished, the most skilled
fighters. In reality, these are two men that don't like each
other. They don't pretend to be friends. They don't pretend to
respect each other. They really and truly feel that the other
guy cannot contend and can't beat them."

The microphone
went to Frye. "Ken and I were supposed to fight in the finals
of the Ultimate Ultimate 2 back in 1996," he stated. "For
reasons unknown somehow he broke his hand. I don't think there's
any break in his hand it was just a lack of testicular fortitude
on his part."

Shamrock glared
at Frye, then dropped his head and chuckled.

"Then he
got up and started talking shit about Dan Gable (the legendary
wrestler and coach at the University of Iowa) amateur wrestlers
and said he wanted to come back and fight the best," Frye
continued of Shamrock. "I called up the UFC and told them
I'd fight him. He said he'd fight anybody but me, so I've been
chasing him for five years now. And finally they got him in a
corner, they won't let him out and he's forced to fight me."

Kallen took
the microphone again and asked if anyone had questions for Frye.
There was no response except for a petite redhead -- a Gretchen
Bonaduce (not sure if she's the Gretchen Bonaduce married to
Danny) -- standing in back. "You guys are supposed to be
good athletes, why haven't you fought before?" she said.
Apparently she hadn't listened to Frye. Either that or she was
too busy waiting for her cue.err.chance to ask the question.

"Like I
said, he's been running," Frye reiterated. "We were
supposed to fight in 1996 and he pulled out. And I haven't been
able to find him since. I finally go a hold of him."

According to
a source that wished to remain nameless, Shamrock and Frye were
supposed to stand nose-to-nose and jaw back and forth, but nothing
more than at that. Whether the emotions of the press tour, or
a few more cameras aided in escalating it beyond that is unsure.

Shamrock grabbed
the microphone and shot back. "I'm not going to sit here
and listen to this punk ass bitch here talk crap," he said.
"I'm going to tell you something, I don't duck anybody.
I never have ducked anybody. This isn't a Mike Tyson (there's
that name again) or a boxing thing here. You ain't going sit
here and disrespect me and have me listen to it. I will beat
your ass right now."

Frye stood and
turned to look Shamrock eye-to-eye and the "World's Most
Dangerous Man" shot back, "yeah, I can see it in your
eyes little bitch. You're chicken." A full glass of water
sat on the table begging for one of the fighters to toss it.
Frye obliged dousing Shamrock's shirt.

Shamrock jumped
forward, nearly knocking Japanese legend Antonio Inoki out of
the way, and grabbed Frye. The two men wrestled back-and-forth
in the clinch before they could be broken up. No punches were
thrown, but Shamrock ended up with a small scratch to the left
side of his face.

"You better
enjoy it because that's all your going to get bitch," yelled
Shamrock. "Next time I'm going to bust your face."

"Finish
the job, finish the job," countered Frye.

"Oh, you
can count on it," said Shamrock. "This isn't boxing
you stupid fuck. I mean business asshole!"

"This ain't
WWF boy," Frye blasted across the large room. He then offered
to take it outside.

"Oh, you
wanna take it outside stupid," bellowed Shamrock. "You
know what, you better open your eyes right now because this is
no game Don. You're about to get your ass handed to you."

Kallen took
the microphone, and said both fighters would be available for
one-on-one interviews. I don't know, I thought it was funny.
We broke for lunch -- my penne with blackened chicken was about
as tasteless as the scene described above.

More Sound "Bites"

Mike Tyson,
is in trouble with just about anyone he could be in trouble with,
yet the champion of press-conference fighting seems to be exactly
the man Pride is targeting for a mega-fight and a massive payday
in Japan. Why would Kallen and DSE feel it's smart to associate
to the Hannibal Lecter of the sports world?

The odds of
Tyson fighting in Pride are slim to none, however, by bringing
his name up, to sportswriters, or anyone else that will listen
gives Pride much needed publicity. We'll see what the backlash
is, if any. Already there was an article in the Detroit Free
Press mocking Kallen, Tyson and mixed martial arts. Hell, any
chance to write about Tyson is a chance to trash someone or something.

"What we're
hoping to do, with this particular fight, is challenge Mike Tyson
to fight the winner of this fight on February 24th," said
Kallen, the "First Lady of Boxing". "He's having
trouble getting licensed to fight Lennox. The United States does
not seem to want to have Mike Tyson fight for what they consider
to be good reasons. Japan welcomes him. They would very much
like him to come over there. He thinks he's a bad ass, these
guys (Frye & Shamrock) think otherwise. So hopefully we can
put something together, get him over there and let's find out
just how tough Mike Tyson really is because I don't think he
could stand up to either one of these guys."

Source: Maxfighting.com/Josh
Gross

Grapplers
Quest $1,000
8-Man Superfight Absolute Tournament

Brian Cimins is setting
up a hot Tournament for his Grapplers Quest West. The event is
to take place in Las Vegas, NV. on February 22nd and its is going
to Rock. Here are the first round match-ups for the Professional
No-Gi: